Diocese Celebrates Historic Ordination

By Mary Lim 

There was something in the air that morning, such that anyone could tell: something very special was about to happen inside St. Augustine Cathedral on that sweet Saturday morning of June 3rd, 2023.  

Before 9 a.m., more than an hour’s countdown until the local Catholic event of the year was to begin, the parking lots were already at capacity. If the lack of parking availability didn’t tip you off and you didn’t already know it prior to walking past Cathedral Square in Downtown Tucson, then it might have been the tents and the folding tables outside the Pastoral Center that let passersby know that something big was about to happen. Or it may have been the undeniable joy seeping out of the doors of the church building; or perhaps the stately group of Knights gathered in the Narthex, ready for a grand entrance; or maybe it was the guests who were arriving, many in formal attire, donning smiles of uncontained excitement, for what they were about to witness was going to be – they knew – a miracle. It had been some 20 years since the Diocese of Tucson has had five men ordained at once. 

This giddy anticipation is how the morning of the Priest Ordination will forever be remembered. They are known as the Ordinandi: Deacon Jesus Gomez, Deacon Alan Soto Hopkins, Deacon Abundio Colazo Lopez, Deacon Luis Pablo Ochoa Escárrega, and Deacon Roberto Villablanca, Jr. The five elect are diverse – a nod to our multicultural diocese; four are Hispanic, one is Filipino, all are bilingual and in their 20’s and 30’s. The five elect spent between 7 and 13 years in formation in the Seminary. 

The Ordinandi shared precious moments of love, joy, eagerness, and pride with their families in the very front pews of the Cathedral before the special Mass in which they were about to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. As friends and loved ones of the five elect joined the crowd awaiting this momentous celebration, they and countless other lay faithful all but lined up to give their congratulations to the young men, offering words of encouragement and gratitude, and sincere embraces.  

As Catholics from all around the Diocese of Tucson, from out of state, and even a few from other countries took their seats, all eyes were on the lookout and following these five brave men who were prepared to offer their lives for Christ’s Church. The pews were filled with nuns, priests, deacons, the young and the old – hundreds of faithful lay and religious, many of them praying their rosaries while waiting to witness the miracle and fullness of the fruit of their prayers. Feelings of admiration, thanksgiving, and awe toward these five young men were mutually felt by all present. As the time drew closer and the crowd grew denser, many people could be spotted pulling out their phones to try to capture these fleeting, historical moments. 

At long last, Vocations Director Fr. Alan Valencia called all the joyous conversations to a halt by asking everyone to “gather our thoughts and calm our spirits”. There wasn’t enough seating in the Cathedral to accommodate all who wished to witness the Ordination. After a few moments of arranging and announcing logistics, standing guests were ushered to overflow seating prepared at the Pastoral Center next door with a live streaming of the event. Then, to the tune of “Laudate Dominum”, the Knights preceded the procession of bishops, priests, deacons, and the five elect down the aisle to the altar. 

Bishop Edward Weisenburger opened the Mass just as he would on any regular day, and the participation from the pews echoed as everyone repeated the familiar responses in unison. This Mass was to be very special, though, set apart from the universal rituals of an everyday Mass by the Right of Ordination. The five seminarians took their seats with the rest of the deacons gathered on the left side of the altar, dressed in the diaconate vestments to match the dozens of men behind them, and they were reminded of the significance of the rituals that were about to take place as members of the choir led the church in a bone-chilling rendition of Psalm 110, “You are a priest forever.” 

During his homily, Bishop Weisenburger shared a memory from his youth of being asked, “Why do you want to be a priest?” 

“Priests have always been my heroes” was his reply, and a statement that he stands by to this day. To the five young seminarians in front of him, the Bishop said that they, too, will be thought of as heroes to the Church that they are laying their lives down to serve, and that what makes them heroes is the grace that they have received through the priesthood to be able to constantly receive Christ, and to point people to Christ. 

Following the homily was the Rite of Ordination, which included a “series of rituals that speak to the history of the Church and to what they [the priests] will be doing their whole life,” as explained by Vocations Director Fr. Alan in a recent podcast explaining the events of the Rite. 

A notable part of the Rite includes when the new priests lay prostrate on the floor of the altar as a sign of their unworthiness and their humility, acknowledging that they depend fully on God’s grace to live out their priesthood. While the newly ordained lay prostrate, the rest of the faithful pray the litany of the Saints, asking for their intercession in the lives and mission of these five men. Is this what will make them heroes? Not quite.  

It is in the moment when the Bishop lays his hands on the Ordinandi and prays over them that he is calling down the Holy Spirit on the men, asking that they be given God’s graces, that God set them apart and fill their character, that they may serve for the rest of their lives. It is in that moment that they receive the graces that come with the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It is in that moment that they become priests. But is that the moment that they become heroes? It is not. 

Another ritual that is practiced during the Rite of Ordination is the Anointing of the Hands. This practice comes from the Old Testament – priests and kings were anointed as a sign that they have been set apart with a very specific role to care for people, and to carry out sacred duties. This is why a priest touches an item or a person when he blesses them: because his hands are consecrated to bestow God’s grace on them. Does this ability make him a hero now? Certainly that is part of it, but no, that is not why people will think of these men as heroes. 

Before the Anointing of the Hands, the family members of the newly ordained bring forward their new priestly vestments, and the priests assist with vesting them. To witness the giant smiles on each of these men’s faces when they were being vested was like watching a young toddler putting on his favorite baseball outfit. For a young child who sees the athleticism of a baseball player and decides that they want to be just like them, they eagerly await the day that their favorite outfit is out of the wash, and they walk right up to the mirror and look at themselves and smile, because they look like their favorite heroes. For these five new priests, when they finally got to put on the priestly vestments that they have waited so long to wear, their wide smiles demonstrated to everyone that they now resembled their heroes. 

Another very special moment that sets this event apart from other Masses is that, at the end of the celebration, the new priests will give their first blessings. The first goes to Bishop Weisenburger and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas, their families, then their fellow priests. Fr. Alan explains that the very special first blessings are reserved for the families because the first seminary is the home, that is where vocations are nurtured and where God first calls people to himself.  

And THAT is what makes a priest a hero. It is his family, his parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family who were the first examples of God’s love to him growing up. It is his friends, teachers, and the communities that he was brought up in that he first practiced sharing that intimate knowing of God’s love with. It is in the personal relationships that he formed and nurtured with every member of the Church that crossed his path; that love that he knew and was taught to him and practiced as a young boy is the same love that unites him to the Father. It is that love that attracted people to Christ. It is that love that will attract people to these newly ordained priests, and it is that love that makes them our heroes. 

The newly ordained celebrated their first Masses on Sunday, June 4th. To see where they and other priests are serving, click here.